Paramount Chamber of Commerce
Host 14th Annual Job Fair
The Paramount Chamber recently held its 14th Annual Job Fair at Paramount Park. The event was sponsored by long-time supporter Paramount Petroleum and attended by nearly 300 candidates seeking employment. The event included services such as resume critiques and resume creation; in addition to workshops on how to create a winning resume and how to interview. The Job Fair is a cooperative effort between the Paramount Chamber, Paramount SASSFA, and the City of Paramount.
Job Vendors and service providers who attended the event included:
Aerotek Staffing
Alondra Hot Wings
Alpha Staffing
Arbonne
Armond Dupree
California Highway Patrol
CBD College
City of Paramount
Compton Worksource Commerce
Damsel in Defense
DeVry University
Fairway Staffing
Haven House
Health Career Specialist
InfoTech Career College
KDS Marketing
LACOE/HOP
Los Angeles Vet Center
Los Angeles World Airports
Mary Kay
Office of Senator Ricardo Lara
Office of U.S. Congresswoman Roybal Allard
Paramount Petroleum
Paramount SASSFA
Perfecto
Quality
Select Staffing
Sky Network Communications
State Farm (David Maciel)
The Art Institute
The Education Planners
The Home Depot
Trinity Law School
U. S. Army
UCLA Dept of Medicine
Weber Metals
A New Term As Your Mayor
In April, the Paramount City Council held its annual reorganization meeting, and it was my honor to be selected as your mayor for the next year. I thank my fellow Councilmembers for their confidence and trust, and look forward to serving our community in this role.
The Council also elected Tom Hansen as Vice Mayor.
It has been a profound blessing for me to have served my hometown on the Council since 1994. This is a great community full of committed individuals all devoted to creating a positive environment for residents and businesses. I am proud to call Paramount my home, and will take great pleasure in sharing the City’s news with you here in the Pulse Beat throughout my term.
Don’t Dump Large Items, Have Them Hauled Away For Free
Did you know that it’s illegal to dump anything in the alleys, streets, sidewalks, or public rights-of-way in Paramount? Not only is it unsightly, but it could create a health hazard, as well. In addition, owners of any property adjacent to where such dumping occurs can be fined.
But there is a very easy way to dispose of large items like furniture or appliances that won’t fit in a regular trash container.
Cal-Met Services will pick them up for free from residential customers.
Call (562) 259-1239, extension 244, the day before your normal trash pick-up and tell them you have bulky items to be col-
lected. Then simply place them out on the curb with your trash.
Keep in mind that things like lumber, concrete, auto parts, and toxins such as paint and used motor oil cannot be removed in this way.
The service is free for single-family residences and multi-family properties with trash containers, not bins. For residential properties with trash bins and for commercial accounts there is a $16.76 per item charge.
Nominate A Home For Paramount Pride
Spring is here and the nomination period for this year’s Paramount Pride has begun. The City’s annual program will once again recognize property owners in town who add to our quality of life by maintaining their homes in a pleasing, attractive way.
If you aware of such a house (including your own), feel free to nominate it. All we need is the address. The nominees will be judged by real estate/design professionals, who will choose this year’s honorees.
Nominations can be made by calling City Hall at (562) 220-2027 or by sending an email through a link on the City’s website homepage at www.paramountcity. com. Again, all you need to provide is the home’s address.
The deadline for nominations is May 9th and the winners will be recognized at the June 3rd City Council meeting.
Celebrate National Library Week At The
Paramount Branch
April 13-19 is National Library Week. This year’s theme is “Lives change @ your library.”
We are certainly proud of our Paramount branch, which has been serving the community for more than 100 years. I encourage everyone to visit, and take advantage of its wonderful resources.
To mark National Library Week, the branch will present a special program, “Volcanoes in Story and Science,” on Saturday, April 19 from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Kids of all ages and their families are welcome to attend. No reservation is necessary.
The library also offers the following
programs throughout the year:
Baby/Toddler Storytime, Tuesdays at 10:15 a.m.
School-Age Storytime, Saturdays at 2:00 p.m.
Teen Program, last Thursday of the month at 4:00 p.m.
Hooked on Yarn Crochet Program, the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month at 12 p.m.
The Paramount Library is open Tuesday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. You can check out the most up-to-date information at www.colapublib.org/libs/ paramount/index.php .
Paramount Relay For Life
The American Cancer Society’s annual Relay For Life offers an opportunity to honor cancer survivors, promote how individuals can reduce their cancer risk, and raise money to help end cancer. This year’s Paramount Relay for Life is scheduled for Saturday morning, May 3rd, 9:00 a.m. at Paramount Park. For information on how to take part, contact Bridget.valadez@cancer. org, call (323) 452-3898, or visit www. relayforlife.org.
West Nile Virus & Mosquito Awareness Week
California has declared April 20th through April 26th as West Nile Virus and
Mosquito & Vector Control Awareness Week.
“Increasing mosquito activity in Los Angeles County is a reminder that the summer mosquito breeding season is here and residents need to take measures to protect against mosquito bites and disease transmission,” said Kelly Middleton, Director of Community Affairs for Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District (GLACVCD).
Here are some ways you can protect yourself from the threat of mosquitoes:
• Daytime bites could be a sign that Asian tiger mosquitoes are nearby. Report any daytime bites to GLACVCD at (562) 944-9656 or online at glacvcd.org.
• GLACVCD performs free inspections for dirty, green swimming pools or other potential mosquito breeding sources and can help people solve mosquito issues in their neighborhood. Call (562) 944-9656 or go online at glacvcd.org.
• Take a few minutes and walk around your property every week. Dump out buckets, saucers, and other items that are holding water.
• If you’re outdoors when mosquitoes are active, apply insect repellent. The most effective repellents contain active ingredients such as DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus (PMD). Always apply according to label instructions.
• Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace screens that have tears or holes.
“Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.”
– Christian D. Larson
Outgoing Mayor, Gene Daniels
Learn Valuable Tips at Free Rental Property Workshop April 26th
The next Good Neighbor Program – a free seminar for Paramount rental property owners and managers – will be held Saturday, April 26th. The workshop will take place at Progress Park Plaza West from 10:00 a.m. till 2:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided.
If you want to attend, you need to make a reservation by calling (562) 220-2002.
Those taking part will receive the program’s certification and seal of approval that can help attract quality tenants.
The classes are offered in conjunction with the Apartment Association of Southern Cities, the Sheriff’s Department, and attorneys specializing in landlord/tenant law. Topics cover such areas as tenant screening, evicting problem tenants, developing effective rental agreements, and recognizing criminal activity, all in an effort to keep your property crime free.
The program aims to enhance the quality of life for residents, create higher tenant satisfaction rates, and remove unlawful tenants. The effort also increases a property’s long-term profitability for the owner, lowers maintenance costs, and establishes close contact between the owner/manager, the City, and the Sheriff’s Department.
It’s an award-winning program, recognized by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), that the City of Paramount has offered for many years and has been utilized by hundreds of property owners in town.
Property owners who successfully complete the program may receive a one-year free membership in the Apartment Association of Southern Cities and
a one-year waiver of their City business license fees.
Again, to RSVP, please call (562) 220-2002.
Big Drops in Crime to Start New Year
The City’s Public Safety Department measures the number of Part 1 crimes throughout the year to compare with the previous year’s activity. For the first two months of 2014 (the latest figures available at press time), Paramount has seen double-digit decreases for violent crime (down 19%) and property crime (down 25%).
Most notably, auto theft, which has been an ongoing regional problem, is down by 34%. This drop is due to a number of proactive efforts between the City and the Sheriff’s Department, including the assignment of a detective to address increased auto theft throughout Lakewood Station’s area and using resources from the Sheriff’s TRAP (Task Force for Regional Auto Theft Prevention) unit.
Don’t Leave Personal Paperwork in Your Car
Here’s a tip to help you avoid being the victim of identity theft. Never leave Social Security cards, passports, birth certificates, vehicle pink slips, income tax records, checkbooks, or payroll stubs in your unattended car, even in the glove compartment.
Thieves breaking into vehicles are often looking for these types of documents. Keep them at home in a safe location.
BUSINESS WORKSHOP
Power of Email Marketing
Friday, April 25, 2014 @ 10am to 12pm
Best Practices, Tips, and Trends – How to do Email Marketing Well. Master email communications with the comprehensive look at best practices and winning strategies for getting and keeping quality subscribers, increasing deliverability and open rates, writing good headlines and content, saving time, getting readers to take action, and more, like:
• What Email Marketing is and how it works • How to grow your email contact list
• How often to send • Subject lines • Content
• Real world examples of other businesses doing it well How to reduce unsubscribes/spam complaints
Fee: $20
Simple Strategies for Better Event Marketing
Friday, May 16, 2014 - 10am to 12pm
Attend this presentation and learn how to use the power of event marketing to get potential and existing customers to take four key actions:
• Sign up • Speak up • Show up • Follow up
Good marketing is about eliciting a physical and measurable response. In this practical and engaging seminar, you will learn how to find, convert, and keep new and existing customers through effective event marketing. You will also learn best practices related to the who, when, where, and what that makes an event a memorable experience. Learn how events can engage customers. Take your events to the next level using e-mail, social, traditional, and internet marketing tools. Fee: $20
(Make checks payable to LBCC SBDC)
Call
SG Tax Services and Golden State Realty – New Names, Decades of Experience
On Friday, February 28th, the Paramount Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for SG Tax Services and Golden State Realty. SG Tax Services and Golden State Realty might sound new to the Paramount-area business scene, but they represent more than 20 years of expertise and dedicated customer service.
Sandra Gomez, a licensed real estate agent since 1989 and tax preparer since the early 1990s, started SG Professional Services in 1994 in the City of Paramount. Soon after, in 2004, she was joined in the business by her son, George Gutierrez.
To coincide with the expansion and remodeling of their offices at the corner of Alondra and Lakewood, the longtime Paramount residents recently launched the two new entities. “It’s the same people, same knowledge and skills, just new names,” Sandra said.
Though January through April is
its busiest season, SG Tax Services provides full service all year long. “People may have questions about tax planning or IRS notices at any time,” George said. “Many chain offices close after tax season in April. We are open year-round.”
Sometimes it’s the simple things that can benefit a client, like meeting with them in a private office. “Many tax preparers work in the open, with adjoining desks, so clients are all in a big room doing their taxes, and personal, sensitive information can easily be shared in these conditions,” George noted. “Our office is structured for optimum security and privacy. You can get into all the details comfortably.”
“We’re very personalized and our clients feel very comfortable with us,” Sandra said. “They know we care. Many clients have expressed how stressed they were from receiving tax notices or bills, but were calm and relieved when they left our office.
“We have a very high retention rate and most of our new customers come through referrals,” she added. “We do very little advertising and have grown steadily.”
SG Tax Services, which specializes in personal and sole proprietor accounts, also offers notary public and translation services.
On the Golden State Realty side, Sandra and George focus on local neighborhoods, and both are licensed brokers with extensive knowledge in the real estate and mortgage businesses.
“We can help a client anywhere in L.A. or Orange County,” George said. “But you do better when you know the area, and we’ve been in this community for over two decades.” The majority of their real estate work is residential (single- and multi-family), with some commercial, including retail and restaurants. They are also expanding their property management services.
The two businesses – taxes and real estate – are complementary in many ways. “Many of our tax customers are our real estate customers and our real estate customers often become our tax customers,” Sandra said. “Based on what we see in their taxes, for instance, we can offer strategies to help with tax liabilities or their real estate needs. Or we might see a refinancing opportunity to help save our customers money. Our knowledge in both fields offers advantages for everyone.”
Mother and son might run the businesses, but they feel a real affinity with their customers. “We’re like a big family here,” Sandra said. “And our clients love the service and sense of detail we provide.”
SG Tax Services and Golden State Realty are located at 15903 Lakewood Blvd., suite 203, Bellflower 90706; (562) 630-4004.
Owners George Gutierrez, Sandra Gomez, and Paramount Chamber Senior Vice President Jon Tanklage.
Representing Assembly Member Anthony Rendon Ronald Gonzales-Lawrence, Owners George Gutierrez, and Sandra Gomez.
Representing Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard Kimberlee Tachiki-Chin, Owners George Gutierrez, and Sandra Gomez.
Representing Senator Richard Lara Julia Juarez, Owners George Gutierrez, and Sandra Gomez.
Representing the City of Paramount Councilmember Peggy Lemons, Owners George Gutierrez, and Sandra Gomez.
Chamber members and guests join SG Tax Services and Golden State Realty for their ribbon cutting ceremony.
Stater Bros. Supermarkets Rated #1 Full Service Supermarket Chain in Southern California According to a Leading National Consumer Magazine
Stater Bros. Supermarkets has been rated as the “best place to shop for groceries” among Full Service Supermarket Chains in Southern California in a Leading National Consumer Magazine.
Stater Bros. was rated No. 1 in Southern California for low prices and highly rated for employee courtesy, meat and produce quality, cleanliness, and checkout speed.
The ratings were based on the responses of the magazine’s readers about their experiences at 55 of America’s leading Supermar-
Clubs & Organizations
ket Chains, Warehouse Stores, and Limited Assortment Stores.
Each Supermarket Chain was rated for prices, service, cleanliness and perishables.
Jack H. Brown, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Stater Bros. Supermarkets, stated, “I am so proud of the over 18,000 members of the Stater Bros. ‘Family’ of Employees for bringing this high honor to Stater Bros. Supermarkets. We will all work very hard every day to continue to earn the privilege of serving you, your family, friends and neighbors.”
Paramount Rotary Art Contest Winner
Benjamin Rocha is the winner of the Paramount Rotary art contest. The piece deals with birth control and the complexities of the world with soldiers, nuclear weapons, potential genius, accomplishment and industry.
PARAMOUNT LIONS 2014 STUDENT SPEAKER ADVANCES TO REGION LEVEL COMPETITION
Avery James De La Cruz, 10th grade student at Paramount High School, won this year’s Paramount Lions Student Speaker Contest-Club Level.
Delivering this year’s topic “Community Service-What Does It Mean and Why Does It Matter?” Avery’s well-prepared, solid presentation garnered him the first place award at the Zone Level. Avery now advances to the Region Level competition to be held in April.
Club President Bill Kalpakoff said, “This is a great opportunity for our youth to practice public speaking and have the potential to win more than $21,000 in cash awards and scholarships. Paramount Lions recognizes and thanks coaches, Autumn Bignami-Paramount High and Peter Sunnarborg-Dominguez High- for their role in instilling the value of public speaking and competition in their students.”
Promote Your Business At PEP Fundraiser This Month
There’s still time to promote your business while supporting education in Paramount. Be a sponsor or make a donation at PEP’s 11th Annual Scholarship Fundraiser.
Even if you’re a small business, a Paramount mom & pop shop, a contribution on any level will result in your company’s name being publicized.
Sponsors and donors will be featured at the fundraiser itself and will be recognized in the Pulse Beat, on the City’s website, and in the Around Town newsletter that goes to every home and business in Paramount.
Plus, all donations are made to the PEP 501c3 non-profit entity, and are tax deductible.
With a theme of “A Night in Casablanca,” the event will be held on Friday, April 25, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Progress Park Plaza, 15500 Downey Avenue.
Help make the dream of going to college a reality for a local student while getting your name out in the public in a positive way.
The fundraiser features great food and lots of fun casino-type games, all for a very good cause.
Your donation is an important investment in our community.
If interested in sponsorships or other contributions, please contact Suleyma Rosales at (562) 220-2121 or srosales@paramountcity. com.
The “PEP Moms” (and one PEP Dad!) volunteered their time again this past March by counting all of the “Pennies for PEP” (and nickels and dimes and quarters) that came in from each school in the Paramount Unified District. They stacked and totaled thousands of dollars in coins each week. The final tally for the annual fundraiser will be announced in next month’s Pulse Beat, along with the classrooms and schools that contributed the most money. The City and the Paramount Education Partnership are grateful for the generous spirit shown by these wonderful folks.
NATIONAL PASSPORT DAY:
The Paramount Post Office is hosting a special passport event in Paramount, CA on Saturday, April 12, 2014 from 8:30 AM until 3:00 PM to provide passport information to U.S. citizens and to accept passport applications. The Paramount Post Office is joining the Department of State in celebrating a Passport Day in Paramount CA, a local passport acceptance and outreach event.
U.S. citizens must present a valid passport book when entering or re-entering the United States by air. U.S. citizens entering the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda at land borders and sea ports of entry must present a passport book, passport card, or other travel docu-
ments approved by the U.S. government. Information on the cost and how to apply for a U.S. passport is available at travel.state.gov. U.S. citizens may also obtain passport information by phone, in English and Spanish, by calling the National Passport Information Center toll-free at 1877-487-2778.
Event: Passport Day in Paramount CA
Date: Saturday, April 12, 2014
Time: 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Where: Paramount Post Office 7200 Somerset Blvd
Paramount CA 90723-9998
El Peri Sushi Grand Opening
El Peri Sushi located at 16604 Paramount Blvd., recently held a grand opening at which they received recognition from the Chamber, State and local officials. From left; Julia Juarez (representing Senator Ricardo Lara), Paramount Chamber President Brenda Olmos (AppleCare Medical Group) El Peri Sushi owner Adalea Penuelas, Jessica Equihua (representing Assemblyman Anthony Rendon) Melissa Penuelas, El Peri Sushi owner Paul Penuelas, and City of Paramount Councilmember Peggy Lemons.
Latinos Multiservicios Grand Opening
certificates of recognition for the
CALIFORNIA OUTREACH ORGANIZATION
ALEXANDER HAST (310) 926-7699, 15929 GARFIELD AVE, PARAMOUNT
WE ARE LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS TO HELP US WITH HANDLING AND GIVING OUT THE FOOD & FOR DONORS WHO ARE WILLING TO HELP US WITH FOOD OR MONEY CONTRIBUTIONS THAT ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE. PLEASE CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION (310) 909-9019.
Now hiring, AUTO MECHANIC, BODY AND PAINT TECH., AND OUTSIDE SALES ACCOUNT MANAGER. Email Heraldsgarage@gmail.com or visit Herald’s Garage 8124 E. Alondra Blvd., Paramount.
ZLS Beauty Salon, hiring LICENSE COSMETOLOGIST & A HAIR STYLIST must have 2 years of experience, flexible schedule & great customer service skills if interested call. Ruby 323 377 5508 .
BILINGUAL SALES in English & Spanish with basic computer skills. Also looking for WAREHOUSE EMPLOYEE with inventory, order-picking, and/or UPS experience. Please call 562-408-1984 and ask for Ivette or send an email to mimi.kim@ptminconline.com for Mimi.
Owners Jose Luis Solorzano and Yorlin Guido receive
grand opening of Latinos Multiservicios and Insurance Center located at 8737 Alondra Blvd. From left: Julia Juarez (representing Senator Ricardo Lara), Brenda Olmos (Paramount Chamber President), Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, Jose Luis Solorzano, ribbon cutting guest, Yorlin Guido, Merlyn Guido, and Councilwoman Peggy Lemons.
Alondra Hot Wings of Paramount Named U.S. Chamber Blue Ribbon Small Business Award Winner
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently named Alondra Hot Wings of Paramount, California, a Blue Ribbon Small Business Award winner. The annual program recognizes companies for their dedication to the principles of free enterprise and contributions to restoring jobs and supporting economic growth. Alondra Hot Wings was selected from a record number of applicants across the nation for demonstrating exceptional business practices in areas including strategic planning, employee development, community involvement, and customer service.
Grand Re-Opening of the Paramount Drive-In Theatres
The Paramount Swap Meet is reviving a favored American pastime, the Drive-In Theatre. Set to open in Spring 2014, Paramount Drive-In Theatres offers a double feature on two 75 foot screens, digital projection with FM radio sound, several restrooms and full snack bar.
Paramount Drive-In Theatres will be drawing from a wide range of movie-goer, just by sheer location. “It’s always been our hope that we could bring back the drive-in theatre. We hope to help preserve a wonderful American pastime and with the help of some new technology, attract some younger audiences,” Modern Development Company Managing General Partner, Glenn Bianchi.
The drive-in will offer admission for 9$ per adult, $3 for children ages 5-8 and children under 5 are free, rain or shine. All motor vehicles are welcome, including trucks and RVs. Outdoor enthusiasts are encouraged to bring portable radios and the whole family for some truly unique outdoor fun. “We hope to replicate the feeling of the original theatre, and make a night out at the movies more of an interactive experience,” Modern Development Company General Partner, Beau Bianchi.
10 Tips for Attracting New Customers
Last month we offered some tips for defining your target market. Now that you’ve defined your market how do you attract new customers and potentially further add to your 20%? Follow the tips below to assist you with revisiting your strategies for attracting new customers.
1. Review Your Target Market: The idea is to finally tune your target customer by placing them into groups with similar needs so you can align your appropriate products/services to fit those needs. The more you identify applicable categories, the more areas available to approach or create opportunities later. For example, maybe your target is middle class men, age 45-65, living in metro areas with families, interested in classic cars and mechanics that frequent local events and festivals of the same nature.
2. Identify potential partnerships with complementary businesses. Make a list of local businesses or organizations that offer products or services to the segments both partners have in common. This allows both partners to benefit from the relationship and keeps your customers returning. For instance, if you own a pet grooming salon, some likely partners might be pet supply and food stores, maybe a juice or coffee place everyone walks
their dog by or even non-commercial partners like local parks or shelters.
3. Develop a “Pilot” Campaign: Start small, so you can test the results of a small campaign geared at your newly developed target audience in conjunction with your partner(s). You can promote a product/service “freebie” or one of your products/services at a discounted rate with a high perceived value, but low cost to you. For example, if you own a spa, perhaps give a free 30 minute massages when you bring your mother for Mother’s day (free massage with the purchase of one massage) offered to your top 25 clients and 25 clients of the nearest luxury hair salon. This way, you manage the cost and the exclusivity of the promotion.
4. Measure, measure, measure.
How do you know if your efforts worked or failed? After developing the pilot campaign strategy, setup the appropriate metrics. Start with setting goals e.g. 25 new clients in 60 days and two local partnerships. Then, if you choose to market your promotions via email measure the amount of new leads that came in from the eblasts through click-through rates (CTR) or by prepping your materials, software, staff and the like to ask “how did you hear about us?” On your website, you
can use tracking URLS like (www. salon.com/vipmemberdeal) or lead capture forms on a landing page that ask for contact information. If you’re using printed material or advertisements use phone tracking services such as Mongoose Metrics, Marchex, or Call Source before you begin printing your materials.
5. Customer Service: Truly emphasizing the importance of genuine customer services goes a long way in creating the experience many customers will often not only return for, but pay more for versus less expensive competitors. Offering service primarily based on care and trust on an individual basis creates an opportunity for a friendly relationship with your business and you as an extension of your business. When communicating with your clients speak through the social perspectives of the business i.e. the aspects your employees, your clients, or even your vendors would find notable. Just the same, assure you or the appropriate team member responds to customer concerns, complaints, and praises in a timely and personal fashion without bias. “Do your best with the best attitude.”
6. Review the Results of Your Campaign: Review your web analytics for web visit behaviors, how long your
clients spent searching your content, the most influential pages on your site, and the geographic location of your visitors to start. Once you map out all of the channels you used e.g. email, web, print advertising you can review which channels helped bring in the most new customers; identifying the most and least profitable. Review all of your leads and new sales and connect them back with their original channel in a spreadsheet or use your customer relationship management (CRM) software. Visit or call your local SBDC for more specific information. Then, begin to continuously optimize and target your efforts with the power of customer intel!
7. Maintain Communication: Collecting contact information whether electronically or in person is crucial to maintaining a relationship with your clients, and especially your best clients. Set up an e-mail marketing system and send personal emails of “welcome,” “thanks,” or “revisits” for things like oil changes that occur every so often, checkups etc. through automated email marketing services like Constant Contact. Be sure to communicate: relevant and valuable information methodically, notable information (i.e. promotions, achievements like a new location etc.), positive and negative changes to products or services. You don’t have to sell constantly, just stay on their mind. The key is communicating a healthy, transparent mix of your business’ happenings to stimulate a sense of customer value.
8. Ask for Referrals: Who? Your 20%, the loyal, and the new. Use your current client base and your top two or three most profitable marketing channels to communicate and remind how you fit a need, made life easier, or more enjoyable. Ask your best and/or most
loyal customers for recommendations via social media if appropriate and don’t forget to include the links to your pages! Assure that your newest clients hear from you within the first 10 days of their purchase for good measure and recollection.
9. Host an Informational Workshop at Your Business – Invite your best customers and have them bring a friend. You can even offset sales period declines by hosting the event during your “slow season” in conjunction with a special offer for that day. Contact your SBDC for strategies on how to leverage SBDC partners to conduct a workshop at your business for free.
10. Loyalty Programs: A brilliant source of rewarding your customers and attracting new ones on the basis of adding an element of exclusivity in addition to offering an opportunity to save on purchases and much more. For more, look into services like Belly, Five Stars, and Perkville.
Stay tuned for the next 10 steps for managing your business leads coming in April. For now, start with the ten steps above to help attract new customers to your business and remember, the LA Regional SBDC is always ready to assist you with extra expertise at 1-866-588-SBDC.
The SBDC is a group of successful small business owners helping fellow entrepreneurs start, sustain, and grow their business through low-cost workshops and free one-on-one consulting in business planning, finance, marketing, and various other specialty areas (Spanish speaking consultants available). To make an appointment call: (562) 938-5100, or email: sbdcinfo@lbcc.edu
Paramount Chamber Golf Classic
